Elgato Eve Aqua brings HomeKit to your garden hose

Smart water controller goes live in June

Elgato is back with its latest HomeKit device, the Eve Aqua. Originally announced last year - the device is now available to pre-order, with shipping starting on 25 June.

The Aqua is a smart water controller that keeps things simple. It simply pops on to a regular outdoor tap and, using the Eve app, your Apple Home app, or indeed via Siri on any devices Apple's digital assistant resides, you can turn the water on.

Within the app you'll also be able to set schedules for when you want the watering to start and end, and you can also see data of your water usage, too.

There's a button on the device itself, if you just want to turn the tap it's connected too on or off independently of any schedules, and there's also a child lock to prevent kids from running amok with the hose.

It's not designed to take on multi-zone water controllers from the likes of Rachio, and there are similar devices already out there already - Gardena has a great option that syncs up with a whole range of other connected garden devices, for example - but the real beauty of the Eve Aqua is the price, at under $100, and its simplicity.

The Eve app that the Aqua syncs with also houses all of the rest of the HomeKit-only range - think sensors, radiator valves, smart buttons, smart plugs and so on - and is actually a much more comprehensive offering for your Apple Home devices than Cupertino's native one (in our opinion, at least).

As well as the Eve Aqua, Elgato is also beginning to ship the Eve Flare next month - a Bluetooth LE, multicolour, battery-powered LED lamp that provides six hours of illumination.

Replacing the old Elgato Avea Flare, the new lamp is HomeKit compatible and is IP65 water resistant so you can use it outdoors.

Like, the Aqua, it will start shipping on 25 June - and will cost ‚ā¨99.95... we've not yet been given UK or US prices.